Means for packaging small articles



May 19, 1964 L. D. SIEGLER MEANS FOR PACKAGING SMALL ARTICLES 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 14, 1961 o o .0 o o o o o o S/6i, S S 55 S S Sooceoooooocgoo INVENTOR Lawrence D. Sieg/er ATTORNEYS y 1964 L. D.SIEGLER 3,133,637

MEANS FOR PACKAGING SMALL ARTICLES Filed Dec. 14, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR Lawrence D. SIeg/er 1 6 BY W ATTORNEYS United States Patent3,133,637 MEANS FOR PACKAGING SMALL ARTICLES Lawrence D. Siegler, 100Oak lLawn Ave, Dallas 7, Tex. Fiied Dec. 14, 1961, fier. No. 159,257 3Claims. (ill. MiG-65) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in means for packaging small articles, particularlyarticles having rod-like end portions, such as electronic componentshaving axial leads or terminals projecting from both ends thereof.

One object of the invention is to provide improved means for packagingsmall articles having rod-like end portions in convenient, orderlymanner so as to protect said articles from damage and facilitateinsertion, inspection, identification and removal thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved packaging meansof such construction that small articles having rod-like end portionsmay be inserted therein manually or mechanically and confined in spacedrelationship for easy mechanical or manual removal therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved packing means,of the character described, having a sheet or strip of flexible orreadily bendable material in which coaeting flaps are cut for confiningthe articles by their end or medial portions, the flaps being adapted tobe opened by bending of said sheet or strip whereby the articles may bereadily inserted and removed.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribed, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of thefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings,wherein examples of the invention are shown, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a packaging strip constructed in accordancewith the invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a modified strip,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another modified strip,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the strip of FIG. 2 bent transverselyaround a roller to open the flaps for insertion or removal of anelectrical component having axial leads,

FIG. 5 is a view, similar to FIG. 4, of the strip of FIG. 3 and anotherform of component, and I FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing theloading of one of the strips.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 designates an elongate sheet, strip ortape of paper or other suitable flexible or readily bendable materialfor packaging electronic components or other small articles 11 havingbodies 12, of circular or other shape, and axial leads or terminals orrod-like portions 13 projecting from both ends of the bodies.Preferably, the paper or other material is in continuous strip or tapeform to facilitate automatic loading as well as coiling thereof inrolls, but the strip may be cut into shorter lengths or sheets prior tobeing packaged. A medial row of equally-spaced openings 14 extendslongitudinally of the strip 10 and the openings are circular orotherwise complementary in shape to the bodies 12 of the articles 11 forreceiving portions thereof, it being noted that said openings are ofslightly less size than said bodies so that nearly one-half of each bodyprojects through each opening. Between each opening 14 and each of thelongitudinal margins of the strip an S-shaped slit 15 is cuttransversely in said strip to provide a pair of coaeting flaps 16 whichare directed lengthwise of said strip. The rod-like end portions 12 ofthe articles are adapted to be inserted beneath the flaps 16 and removedwhen said fiaps are bent upwardly or outwardly of the strip.

3,133,637 Patented May 19, 1964 ice When loaded in the strip 10, thearticles 11 are confiend against displacement by the coaction of theopenings 14 and the adjacent pairs of flaps 16 and are disposed inparallel, spaced relationship with their end portions 12 spaced inwardlyof the longitudinal margins of said strip. Although the material of thestrip has suificient flexibility to permit bending thereof and of itsflaps, the latter are relatively small and of short length so as to havesufficient stiffness to retain the end portions of the articlesregardless of the position of said strip so long as said strip is notbent transversely abruptly or about a small radius. It is noted thateach pair of flaps may be opened or spread apart by manual bendingthereof or by bending of the strip transversely upon itself.

In order to facilitate mechanical bending of the strip for automaticloading and dispensing of the articles, a row of equally-spaced openings17 may be formed adjacent each longitudinal margin of said strip forcoaeting with a toothed drive wheel 18 (FIG. 6). As shown in this view,the strip may ride beneath a pair of rolls 19 and be pulled by the wheel18 over and around a roller 2d, of small diameter, which is disposedbelow the outlet of a suitable hopper or other feeding means 21. Due tothe small diameter of the roller 20, the pairs of flaps 16 adjacent eachopening 14 are opened or spread apart as the strip rides over saidroller.

A modified strip 10 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and is identical to thestrip 10, except for its slits 15 and flaps 16, having identical medialopenings 14' and marginal openings 17. As shown by the numeral 27, onerow of marginal openings may be different from or be of larger diameterthan the openings 17 of the other marginal row for properly orientingthe strip relative to a drive wheel by preventing said strip from beingturned over relative to the wheel. The slits 15' are similar inarrangement and shape to the slits 15, but are more nearly Z-shapedwhereby the flaps 16 are of greater length than the flaps 16 and ofslightly greater width at their inner end portions. Due to the greaterlength of the flaps 16, the longitudinal spacing therebetween may begreater than the spacing between the flaps 16 so that the strip 10' mayaccommodate larger articles than the strip 10.

In FIG. 4, the modified strip is shown bent around a roller 20', similarto the roller 20, to open or spread apart the pairs of flaps adjacentone of its openings 14' for the reception or removal of one of thearticles 11. It is pointed out that the diameter of each of the rollersis somewhat greater than the distance between the base portions of eachpair of coaeting flaps to ensure full opening thereof and that the strip10, as well as the strip 10, is of a width greater than the length ofthe articles so as to protect the end portions thereof even if themarginal openings are not employed. Although capable of accommodatingarticles larger than the articles 11, the strip 10 may be utilized forpackaging said articles 11.

Another modified strip 30 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 for packagingelectronic components or other articles 31 having cylindrical orelongated bodies 32 and axial leads, terminals or end portions 33,similar to the end portions 13 of the articles 11. The strip 30 is of awidth greater than the length of the articles and has a medial row ofpairs of coaeting flaps 34 extending longitudinally thereof and formedby equally-spaced, transverse slits 35 and longitudinally-directed slits36 of wide V-shape. The apices of the slits 36 coincide with the ends ofthe slits 35 and have their arms or legs diverging inwardly whereby theflaps 34 are of trapezoidal shape. As shown in FIG. 5, the opening 39formed by each pair of flaps is slightly larger than the body 32 of eacharticle 31 so that one-half of said body projects through said openingand the other half of said body is substantially covered by the flapswhen the article is inserted or loaded in the strip.

Openings 37, similar to the openings 17 and 27, may be formed in thelongitudinal margins of the strip 30 for driving connection with aWheel, not shown and similar to the wheel 18, in order to facilitatemechanical bending of said strip and opening of its flaps for automaticloading and dispensing of the articles.

Although the flaps 34 of the strip 39 may be opened or spread apart bymanually bending said flaps or said strip transversely upon itself, asshown by the numeral 38, it is preferable to crease or score said striptransversely so as to simplify bending thereof and opening of its flaps.The crease or score lines 38 are alined with the base portions of theflaps, which are not creased or scored, whereby said flaps open fullywhen the strip is bent on the lines alined with said base portions (FIG.5). A roller 4t), square in cross-section and of a width substantiallyequal to the distance betwen the transverse crease or score lines may beprovided for bending the strip 30 on said lines in substantially thesame manner as the rollers 20 and 20'. Due to the crease or score lines38, the strip 30 may be formed of stiffer or less flexible material thanthe strips 10 and lit. It is readily apparent that the articles 31 couldbe packaged by the strips 10 and 10' by merely elongating the medialopenings 14 and 14 transversely of said strips in substantial conformitywith the shape of the bodies 32 of said articles and confining the endportions 33 thereof beneath the flaps 16 and 16.

From the foregoing, it is readily apparent that improved means forpackaging electronic components and other small articles of similarshape has been provided. When packaged, the articles are arranged inconvenient, orderly manner and protected from damage, particularly,their end portions, axial leads or terminals. The articles may bereadily inserted and removed manually or automatically as well asinspected and identified. Although the flaps 34 of the strip 30substantially conceal one of the sides of the bodies 32 of the articles31, the other of said sides and nearly all of the bodies 12 of thearticles 11 are readily visible when the strips are unrolled. Again, itis noted that any one of the strips may be coiled in a roll or cut intoshorter lengths or sheets.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory thereof andvarious changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in thedetails of the illustrated construction may be made, within the scope ofthe appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Packaging means for electronic components having rod-like endportions, said means including a single substantially fiat strip offlexible material for supporting the components in transverse relationthereto, opposed flaps substantially medially of the strip in alignmentwith each other providing an opening therebctween substantiallycomplementary when spread apart to the medial portion of one of saidcomponents, said strip having aligned transverse score lines extendingfrom the base portion of each flap to the longitudinal margins of saidstrip to facilitate bending of said strip and spreading apart each pairof flaps, each flap of said pair having an uuscored base portion ofsufficient stiffness to substantially maintain the flap in the plane ofsaid strip and to return said flap to said plane after repeated flexingout of said plane, said string having aligned holes extending along eachmargin thereof to facilitate the use of said strip in an automaticpackaging machine.

2. Packaging means for electronic components having rod-like endportions, said means including a single substantally fiat strip offlexible material for supporting the components in transverse relationthereto, spaced pairs of flaps cut into the strip intermediate itslongitudinal margins, the flaps of each pair being opposed and directedlengthwise in said strip overlying and confining the rod-like endportions of the components intermediate its ends to prevent thedisplacement thereof, each flap of said pair having an unscored baseportion of sufficient stiffness to substantially maintain the flap inthe plane of said strip and return said flap to said plane afterrepeated flexing thereof through an angle of 90 while being pulled up,over and around a roller of small diameter, said strip having a row ofequally spaced openings along each longitudinal margin for coacting witha tooth drive mechanism.

3. Packaging means for electronic components having rod-like endportions of a smaller diameter than their medial portion, said meansincluding a single substantially flat strip of flexible material forsupporting the components in transverse relation thereto, spaced pairsof flaps cut in the strip intermediate its longitudinal margins, thefiaps of each pair being opposed and directed lengthwise of said stripoverlying and confining the end portions of a component to preventdisplacement thereof, each flap of said pair having an unscored baseportion of sufiicient stiffness to substantially maintain the flap inthe plane of said strip after repeated flexing of said flaps while beingcarried up, over and around a roller of small diameter, said striphaving openings substantially complementary to the medial portion of thecomponents, said openings being slightly larger than the medial portionof the components so that part of said medial portion projects throughsaid opening, said strip having a row of equally spaced openings alongeach longitudinal margin thereof for coacting with a tooth drivemechanism.

References (Iited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS435,094 Hewitt Aug. 26, 1890 1,245,805 Schneider Nov. 6, 1917 2,598,492Boes May 27, 1952 2,815,124 Pellier Dec. 3, 1957 2,839,188 Cipriani etal June 17, 1958 2,881,911 Krill Apr. 14, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 104,845Australia Sept. 1, 1938 230,580 Australia Oct. 7, 1960 272,725Switzerland Apr. 2, 1951

3. PACKAGING MEANS FOR ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS HAVING ROD-LIKE ENDPORTIONS OF A SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THEIR MEDIAL PORTION, SAID MEANSINCLUDING A SINGLE SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT STRIP OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL FORSUPPORTING THE COMPONENTS IN TRANSVERSE RELATION THERETO, SPACED PAIRSOF FLAPS CUT IN THE STRIP INTERMEDIATE ITS LONGITUDINAL MARGINS, THEFLAPS OF EACH PAIR BEING OPPOSED AND DIRECTED LENGTHWISE OF SAID STRIPOVERLYING AND CONFINING THE END PORTIONS OF A COMPONENT TO PREVENTDISPLACEMENT THEREOF, EACH FLAP OF SAID PAIR HAVING AN UNSCORED BASEPORTION OF SUFFICIENT STIFFNESS TO SUBSTANTIALLY MAINTAIN THE FLAP INTHE PLANE OF SAID STRIP AFTER REPEATED FLEXING OF SAID FLAPS WHILE BEINGCARRIED UP, OVER AND AROUND A ROLLER OF SMALL DIAMETER, SAID STRIPHAVING OPENINGS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLEMENTARY TO THE MEDIAL PORTION OF THECOMPONENTS, SAID OPENINGS BEING SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THE MEDIAL PORTIONOF THE COMPONENTS SO THAT PART OF SAID MEDIAL PORTION PROJECTS THROUGHSAID OPENING, SAID STRIP HAVING A ROW OF EQUALLY SPACED OPENINGS ALONGEACH LONGITUDINAL MARGIN THEREOF FOR COACTING WITH A TOOTH DRIVEMECHANISM.